MELANCHOLY [S.T. B. Hargrove]

6

It felt like a cruel joke, really.

I was just doing Max's makeup yesterday. Now, I was blotting makeup on Billy.

It wasn't for fun, though. No matter how many times I joked about how sick he was going to look with makeup like the Mötley Crüe guys.

No. Billy had a bruise on his jawline from Neil. Not because he wanted to try out some sick eyeliner.

Other than seeing it and knowing it was happening.. The worst part was that I couldn't do anything to help. I just had to stay in the room while Neil beat Billy in the living room. My hand never left the doorknob.. I just wanted to run out and stop Neil at any cost.

"At least you're not the injured one this time," Billy muses.

"Don't talk," I complain. "I can't get it right."

Billy sighs and goes quiet. I push his chin so his neck was further exposed and continue layering on the makeup to cover the black and blue blemish.

Billy's hand lands on my thigh and he fiddles with the strings from the hole in my jeans. We were sitting on the bed. His feet were touching the ground while I was sitting criss-cross facing him to work.

I couldn't help but feel nauseated. God, I hated Neil so much. Billy didn't deserve this. Max didn't deserve this.

"Feels good to have someone do this for me," Billy comments.

"B," I warn, patting the cotton on his skin. "You're moving."

"I'm just saying. I bought some makeup to cover when we first moved here. He found it and just beat my ass even more," he reveals.

My eyes close and my heart aches. I lean forward and rest my forehead on his shoulder. 

"I'm so sorry you're going through this," I whisper. "I wish there was something we could do."

Billy rests his head on mine. I feel him flinch from touching the bruise to me.

"Makes it easier.. you being here, I mean. Those months of you running from the cops and moving here.. I realized how much I really missed you."

"It feels like California again," I admit. "Sneaking around and hanging out."

"The second I graduate, we're out of this place."

"We?" I repeat.

Billy shrugs a little. He stops playing with the strings on my jeans and rests his hand flat against my thigh.

I lean up to look him in the eyes. He looked so tired. Defeated. I hated seeing Billy look like this. But, I knew that I was the only person that was able to see this side of him, too.

Still.. I had the compulsion to fix it.

"Can I show you something?" I ask.

--

Billy parks the car and I tap his arm, hurrying him along.

"What is this place?" he asks as we circle around the car.

"Community pool. I found it when I was taking a smoke break from work the other day," I inform.

"Isn't it closed?"

I give him a funny look. "When did that ever stop us before? Don't tell me you're turning Hawkins-soft-bitch on me."

I turn and walk backward to the fence.

"Hawkins-soft-bitch?" he repeats.

I quirk an eyebrow at him and grab the fence to begin climbing. "Sack King of Sacramento went soft, huh?"